Together Again
by sock-feet-and-stirring-sand
Summary: The Companion Cube was more than just a testing device—it was her best friend. Songfic to Together Again by Evanescence.


**I got a Companion Cube pillow for Christmas, which inspired me to write this :) Hope you enjoy! Happy New Year!**

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><p><strong>Never thought that I'd be leaving you today<strong>  
><strong>So alone and wondering why I feel this way <strong>

Chell loved her Companion Cube. She wanted nothing but to hug it and hold it close, and had planned to keep it forever. So it came as quite a shock when the AI's voice, echoing through the chamber, had ordered her to burn her faithful companion.

Reluctantly, she had obeyed, but it had taken every last bit of willpower. Even the promise of cake couldn't ease the pain she felt from the loss of her new friend. Trying to forget that she had just murdered the first friend she'd ever really had, Chell proceeded through to the next test chamber. But even flying through portals had lost all its appeal. Her Aperture Handheld portal device didn't make for a good companion, not like the cube had. And trying to befriend a turret would more likely than not earn her a bloody jumpsuit and a chest full of bullets.

Why did she feel so much for this cube? She had been doing just fine without it before, and let's face it—all it was was a cold lump of metal. So how had she grown so attached to it? Chell tried to assure herself that it was just a box, made to serve as a testing device only. But she couldn't ignore her feelings for this remarkable cube.

**So wide the world **  
><strong>Can love remember how to get me home to you someday? <strong>  
><strong><br>We'll be together again **  
><strong>All just a dream in the end <strong>  
><strong>We'll be together again <strong>

Chell knew it was pointless, but she couldn't help but long for this special cube. All it had done was accompany her through the vast test chamber, and yet, that was enough. She ached for its touch, longed to once again have it in her arms.

Her cube was unique. It wasn't like those boring Weighted Storage Cubes, which were hollow and boring and awful in that they seemed so stoic. Her cube laughed when she laughed, cried when she cried, hurt when she hurt. It was more than the AI had first led her to believe. It wasn't just a safeguard—it was a partner. One could not survive without the other, which is why Chell had come to a conclusion.

She would find her friend.

After all, what was her favorite dessert without someone to share it with? When she completed each and every test chamber in its entirety, she would return for her cube. No matter how long it took her, she would reunite with her best friend.

**So many fears were swimming around and around in my mind **  
><strong>Who would have dreamed the secrets we would find? <strong>

At first, the eerie stillness and hostility of Aperture had disturbed Chell to the point that she was having second thoughts about testing. But as time passed, she'd adapted to the overall chilliness of the place and even thought of it as a second home. The arrival of the ever-loyal Companion Cube had helped with this too. But the cube had proven to be more than a companion, or even, you might say, a "housewarming" gift. No, it did much more than that. It had saved her life numerous times from those tricky High Energy Pellets, and also served as a great stepstool. But best of all, it had alerted her to the strange hideout behind a wall when it had accidentally slipped from her grasp.

Together, Chell and the cube had scoured its depths, marvelling over the amount of junk that filled the place. How old it was, they would never know—but they did find some interesting notes on the walls. _The cake is a lie,_ the notes proclaimed, and Chell had been both awed and confused by the message they carried. What did it mean? Surely, at the end of the testing, there awaited her beloved dessert? The prospect that the strange voice had lied to her had seemed absurd to Chell. She and her friend would soon taste the sugary goodness of cake. Just as soon as they got out of this place.

**I've found a world where love and dreams and darkness all collide **  
><strong>Maybe this time we can leave our broken world behind<strong>

Fueled by the bottled anger surging through her veins, she had done the unthinkable—defeated GLaDOS. For what? It was GLaDOS, she realized, who had ordered her to emancipate her loyal companion. If it hadn't been for the sly, sarcastic AI, Chell would still be united with her Companion Cube.

Then again, if it weren't for GLaDOS, she never would have made this unlikely friend. But it had to be done. The snotty comments from the AI about killing the Companion Cube had only made it easier. Especially since the robot's defeat had led her back to the outside world. She'd finally busted out of Aperture and found her dreamland.

Except... It wasn't really her dreamland. At least, not without cake, and certainly not without her best friend. Hadn't she promised herself that she'd go back for it? The ache of her heart was stronger than the ache of her limbs, and Chell pushed her way through the rubble to find the entrance to the carcass of what used to be an incredible labratory. She'd find her way back through the chambers to search for her cube. This time, she wouldn't leave it behind.

**We'll be together again **  
><strong>All just a dream in the end<strong>


End file.
